What is a BioFilm?
Biofilms are little communities of organisms in your body that join forces to avoid elimination. The protective coating they form is officially called a polymer matrix, which is like a “force field” or barrier that keeps drugs like antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals or any other antimicrobial from being effective in removing them. 
They are a huge concern in the medical community at the moment, however, many patients and physicians don’t even know about them.
Biofilms are capable of adapting to many environments and thus can be found in all parts of the body. These areas include teeth, sinuses, tonsils, eustachian tubes of the middle ear and the intestines. Biofilms in the intestines can lead to chronic digestive and allergic responses often seen in difficult cases.
Immune Imbalance
The immune system is responsible for attacking, controlling and eliminating biofilms. In healthy individuals, this happens regularly, however, in susceptible individuals, biofilms can take hold and begin to wreak havoc on the whole body, specifically the immune system.
By launching an attack on the biofilms via immune cells (macrophages, natural killer cells, cytotoxic T cells and T lymphocytes) the body also creates a significant amount of inflammation. What happens then is the immune system shifts to what we call a TH2 dominant state with the TH1 cells in a lowered state. By shifting to TH2 dominance, the body is then unable to launch a full TH1 attack and eliminate the biofilm. It is most likely constantly battling the biofilm, but simply doesn’t have enough strength to eliminate it.
A TH2 dominant state is very common in many conditions. The TH2 dominant state is what we find in many people with traditional allergies. If you have an overactive TH2 dominant system, you will tend to have food allergies and sensitivities or airborne allergies and an increase in histamine release. This may even be confused with histamine intolerance. Some things that may push someone towards TH2 dominance include genetic predisposition, toxic substances and heavy metal exposure.
Biofilms and the Gut
One of the reasons you may have biofilms in the first place is due to early exposure to antibiotics. There are actually good biofilms that can be destroyed by antibiotics. These good biofilms and healthy gut flora provide a natural type of defense to foreign invaders. Without the good biofilms as a defense mechanism, bad biofilms can proliferate and destroy the gut lining and increase permeability, a term commonly coined as “leaky gut”. With leaky gut, the intestinal barrier is compromised and allows substances to move into the bloodstream. By allowing different substances into the bloodstream, inflammation begins and things such as food allergies and sensitivities eventually alter the health of the immune system. The leaky gut will lead us to a TH2 dominant state as I mentioned above. Leaky gut also can slow down digestion, decrease toxin clearance and initiate proinflammatory chemicals.
Research in gut health and immune system responses to permeable gut linings are revealing significantly new understandings into how these natural defenses work. This new research also helps us learn how to support the body’s ability to maintain a balanced and healthy gut flora.
Dr. Paul S. Anderson is on the leading forefront of biofilm research and education.
We are excited to announce that we have received exclusive access to Dr. Paul Anderson’s webinar on BioFilms, worth $59.00 – and are offering it to you for FREE!
Visit this page for more information.
Good health to you!
Priority One Nutritional Supplements Inc.